We celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday this past weekend. She turned 80 on Sunday. We had a lovely dinner at home. There were seven of us celebrating her. My mom, Paul, Josh, Sammi, Todd and of course, my mother-in law, Jo. You’ll notice that there are nine candles on the cake. As we’ve gotten older we’ve done our best to simplify things, and prevent fire hazards. Once you turn 20 the rules change and you get one candle for each decade, one for any “extra years” and one for good luck, hence nine candles when you turn 80.
It’s been a week of pushing through. I’m working to shift up a few things in the way I do business, and what I’m focusing on. (Don’t worry, I’m not deserting you, I’m getting super focused on what I do well!) There’s a lot to get done, and some of it is a bit overwhelming. I don’t know about you but, when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I stop. It seems that it’s all I can do to sit at my desk, let alone get anything done.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. One book I revisited was Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. Have you read it? It talks about resistance. Pressfield says that resistance always points to true north, the more you resist doing something, the more important it is for you to do it. Resistance is natural.
It’s been a week of pushing through. I’m working to shift up a few things in the way I do business, and what I’m focusing on. (Don’t worry, I’m not deserting you, I’m getting super focused on what I do well!) There’s a lot to get done, and some of it is a bit overwhelming. I don’t know about you but, when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I stop. It seems that it’s all I can do to sit at my desk, let alone get anything done.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. One book I revisited was Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. Have you read it? It talks about resistance. Pressfield says that resistance always points to true north, the more you resist doing something, the more important it is for you to do it. Resistance is natural.
On the one hand, it’s nature’s way of keeping you safe. On the other hand, it’s so frustrating. One thing I’ve been working to keep at the forefront of my mind is this quote from his book, “We can always revise and revisit once we’ve acted. But we can accomplish nothing until we act.”
So, here’s my challenge for you (and for me). Think about the thing that you’ve been resisting the most. Now ask yourself what small action can you take on it. It doesn’t have to be huge, it doesn’t have to even be good, it just has to be something.
What are you going to start moving on? Let me know by sharing in the comments section below.
What are you going to start moving on? Let me know by sharing in the comments section below.
Thanks for your reminder about The War of Art and resistance. My new business venture seems to consist of nothing BUT resistance!
After plugging away like Sisyphus, I had several breakthroughs all at once. They always seem to come when you think they never will. Latest resistance: finishing a new product I’ve been working on. I’m going to focus at least 15 minutes a day on it to keep it moving. Thanks for the article, Carrie.
Hi Andre-
Glad to hear that you’ve had some breakthroughs… it really is one teeny tiny step at a time & then somehow you’ve made it through. Have you read Do the Work (also by Pressfield)? It’s also excellent. Can’t wait to hear about the new product when it’s done.
Hi Carrie,
Just ordered Do the Work. Thanks for the recommendation!
It’s a pretty quick read & you’re likely going to want to read it again & again.
Let me know what you think of it.